1. Field of the Invention
The present invention releases to an ion generating apparatus and an air cleaner releasing ions generated by an ion generating part together with air taken in by a fan, into a room so as to clean the room air.
2. Description of the Related Art
Air in a residential room is polluted with various kinds of substances such as dust of ticks, allergy substances like pollens, floating fungi, viruses, and nasty odors. Further, in recent years, a residence is constructed at high densities, and hence pollutants are easily accumulated in a room. Thus, ventilation need be performed actively. Nevertheless, in a room in a region of heavy air pollution or alternatively in a room where a hay fever sufferer lives or works, in many cases, ventilation performed by opening the window is not allowed and hence an air cleaner is used.
An air cleaner has an intake port on the rear face and has: a fan accommodated in a housing having an exhaust port in the upper part; a filter passing the air taken in through the intake port by the fan; and an ion generating part generating ions. Then, the ions generated by the ion generating part are released into a room from the exhaust port together with the air taken in by the fan. The ions decompose pollutants in the room and hence clean the room air (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-257408 (Patent Document 1, hereinafter)).
The ion generating part has a positive electrode and a negative electrode aligned in a separated manner. Then, when a potential is provided across the positive electrode and the negative electrode, positive ions are released from the positive electrode and negative ions are released from the negative electrode. The positive ions and the negative ions having been released are mixed into the air taken in by the fan, and then released into the room through the exhaust port together with the air.